Aggies escape to Creighton in getting back to baseball basics

OMAHA, Neb. – Texas A&M soaked in the glitz and glamour of sparkling new TD Ameritrade Park on Friday. On Saturday afternoon, the Aggies went up the hill to Creighton University’s ball park and got back to what got them to the College World Series in the first place.

“All the attention they were given was well-earned,” A&M coach Rob Childress said of Friday’s activities at the eight-team CWS. “Today we said let’s get back to business. I’m glad we didn’t play today. We wanted to have a practice that would get us back to our offensive approach. Yesterday, it was, Hey, you’ve got 50 minutes to see how far you can hit it, and have some fun.

“Today it was, Let’s get back to who we are and what we are, and prepare for Sunday.”

The Aggies practiced for a couple of hours at Creighton before heading back to the team hotel. They’ll attend tonight’s Texas-Florida game, and take on defending national champ South Carolina starting 6 p.m. Sunday on ESPN2. Ross Stripling (14-2) will start for A&M.

The Aggies last played in the CWS in 1999. Last year was the last for the event at storied Rosenblatt Stadium.

“First time I’ve been here, and I’ve never even seen the old place,” A&M second baseman Andrew Collazo said after Saturday’s practice. “This is something that every college baseball player dreams of, and we’re actually here doing it.”

Early returns on the new joint show it as a tough place to consistently go deep – what Collazo dubs a good thing for the Aggies.

“It plays to our advantage, we’re a base-hit team, we hit the gaps and run for days,” he said. “We’re a speed team, so it works out for us.”

Childress has coached in the CWS as an assistant at Nebraska, and he’s a big fan of the new digs.

“Everything is perfect,” he said. “The ‘wow’ factor blows you away. But the attention to detail – from the clubhouse to the lockers to the coaches’ locker rooms – is first class.”